After one defensive series against Notre Dame last Saturday, a frustrated Taylor Richards returned to the Purdue sideline.

One voice pierced the din of 61,127 fans in Ross-Ade Stadium and raised the junior’s spirits.

“As soon as I came on the bench, my dad told me I needed to tighten up,” Richards said. “After that, I was getting some good results from the coaches and my dad. They told me I did all I could.”

Richards recorded a team-high nine tackles against the Fighting Irish, breaking up a pass and forcing a potentially pivotal fourth-quarter fumble. Purdue coach Darrell Hazell called the effort “special” and said Richards was the lone Boilermakers defender to grade out at a winning performance.

“Not too many people knew about him going into this year,” Boilermakers senior cornerback Ricardo Allen said. “I feel like he’s a star on people’s playbooks now. Once you go scout Purdue, you scout the secondary, you’re going to scout Taylor Richards.

“He’s been down in the box, he’s been deep, he’s been making pass breakups. He’s been doing it all. When it’s time to make a play, Taylor is going to be around the ball.”

Richards recorded 51 tackles while starting all 13 games last season. He came into this season hoping to make a bigger impact, and that sense of urgency grew when fellow starting safety Landon Feichter broke his leg against Indiana State.

“After the ISU game in the locker room, (linebackers coach Marcus) Freeman told me I’m not just a guy out there anymore, I am the guy, and I have to step up and make those plays,” Richards said. “I’m returning, and it is my time.

“I feel like it is my time because of my age. I feel like it is my time because of who I am. I have to. Football is my love. On the team, there’s always a need for somebody to step up, whenever. It was just my time to do it.”

Defensive coordinator Greg Hudson said he expected a strong game from Richards because the 5-10, 192-pound Florida native has practiced at a consistently high level this season.

A year ago, Richards didn’t show the same aggression when coming up to stop the run. He uses two words when describing that development: courage and confidence.

“It is about experience but it is also about, I feel like, just having a gut check,” Richards said. “I’m out there on the field, and this is the Big Ten. If I come through slow, it could be a touchdown, and I could get run over and get hurt. If I come too fast, I could do the opposite.